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Rocket Lab, a leading space systems company, announced on 30 April 2020 that it has closed the transaction to acquire Sinclair Interplanetary, a leading provider of high-quality, flight-proven satellite hardware. Rocket Lab announced the execution of the agreement to acquire Sinclair Interplanetary on March 16, 2020 pending customary closing conditions …

A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and tailored to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients today was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use under the FDA’s March 24 ventilator Emergency Use Authorization. Called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), the device was developed by engineers at NASA’s Jet …

NASA has selected three U.S. companies to design and develop human landing systems (HLS) for the agency’s Artemis program, one of which will land the first woman and next man on the surface of the Moon by 2024. NASA is on track for sustainable human exploration of the Moon for the first time in history. The human landing system awards under the Next Space …

COMSAT Inc., the global satellite connectivity solutions provider, has ratified an agreement with ABS, a Bermuda-based global satellite operator, to enhance and strengthen the COMSAT global network. The addition of the ABS-3A satellite to the COMSAT Southbury, Connecticut, teleport services bolsters its reach throughout the Americas, Europe, North Africa and …

This week’s Space Café WebTalk took place on 28 April 2020, featuring Daniel Porras, Space Security Fellow at UNIDIR – the United Nations Institute of Disarmament Research in Geneva – in conversation with Torsten Kriening, co-publisher of SpaceWatch.Global and COO of ThorGroup GmbH. Daniel Porras discussed the question “Is it too late …

On 6 April 2020, US President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) on Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources. This order addresses US policy regarding the recovery and use of resources in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies. SpaceWatch.Global was able to …

Virgin Orbit, Sir Richard Branson’s responsive satellite launch company, announced on 23 April 2020 that regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have granted an Emergency Use Authorization for the immediate delivery and use of a new “bridge” ventilator designed and built by the aerospace firm. With that …

As astronauts explore the Moon during the Artemis program, they may need to make use of the resources that already exist on the lunar surface. Take water, for instance: Because it’s a heavy and therefore expensive resource to launch from Earth, our future explorers might have to seek out ice to mine. …

The Global Positioning System, better known as GPS, marked its 25th year of operation on 27 April 2020. On 27 April 1995, the system reached full operational capability, meaning the system met all performance requirements.  U.S. Air Force Space Command formally announced the milestone three months later. “This is a …

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Lockheed Martin a us$5.8 million contract for the first phase of satellite integration on the Blackjack program. Lockheed Martin will define and manage interfaces between Blackjack’s bus, payload and Pit Boss – its autonomous, space-based command and data processor. Additional scope …